Furry Tails
by MysticWaterWolf
Summary: Just a companion fic with a bunch of one shots and short works revolving around my fic, of Furry Ears and Fluffy Tails.
1. Chapter 1

**This is just going to be a randomly updated companion to my story of Furry Ears and Fluffy Tails. Most of these won't have any particular order but, if one fits into a cretin timeline, I'll let you know. **

**Rating/warning may go up, we'll see.**

**I don't own One Piece. Just my characters and ideas.**

Izo didn't know what to expect when Melisandra came to drag him down the hallway to her room. Really, that was a common state of being where Meli was concerned. Although if he did try to make a list, the sight that met his eyes when Melisandra opened her door wouldn't have been in the first one hundred, maybe more.

Melisandra had set out a few of his favorite kimonos, along with Meli's dresses. She had also brought most of Izo's makeup collection and the nail polish as well. Combs, brushes, and hair products covered her desk. In other words, everything you need to give yourself a beauty treatment was here.

The only thing that didn't add up was, why was Melisandra doing this. She wasn't one for getting dressed up, Izo had a hard time getting Meli into a dress. Never had she allowed him to apply makeup or do her hair. Just what was going on here?!

Melisandra knew that Izo would be lost, confused even, when he saw what she had done to her room. But, she had good reason to do this for Izo so, Meli told him. "Because you've been sad lately." As if that explained everything. It wasn't even dropping Izo a hint.

Though, Izo berated himself for letting anyone get an idea that he was unhappy about something, especially Meli. Still, it was hard to keep from wanting what or rather who Izo wanted. He was still uncertain about where he stood, afraid to find out if he could obtain more then wishes and yet, miserable where he stood, alone.

Izo tilted his head on one side, asking. "What does that have to do with all this?" Izu spread his arms, taking in all of the things that Melisandra had set up. Melisandra wrinkled her brow, to her, it was obvious but, she told him anyway. "Because you've been sad. I want to make you happy." Ah, typical Melisandra logic, he should have realized.

Izo smiled, he couldn't help himself. He may or may not ever have Thatch but, he would always have family. Izo picked up a brush, saying. "Thank you Meli, that was very sweet of you. Shall we get started."

Melisandra smiled, her plan had worked. She hated seeing any of her family upset. They spent most of the morning and part of the afternoon with Izo doing their hair, makeup, and so on.

Izo went full out on his geisha look, red lipstick, white face powder, eyeliner, lip liner, shimmering gray eyeshadow, hair up with flower clips, and red nail polish. To top it off, he chose his favorite dark blue kimono with silver trim and flowers adorning it.

If Izo looked the perfect geisha then, Melisandra looked like an exotic princess. Her hair had been brushed and treated until it shone, a few intricate braids and white ribbons were added. Izo went with a shimmering powder, to bring out her natural stripes and spots. Meli also had pink lipstick, eyeliner, silver eyeshadow, gold nail polish and just a hint of blush. To finish the look, Meli had on her orange spaghetti-string dress with the red flare.

They made quite the sight as the pair made their way to the deck. Everyone whose path they crossed, stopped what they were doing to watch them go by. One particular pair of eyes lingered on the fine form of the taller one.


	2. Wanted Poster

**Hey everyone. Thank you for the review and follows.**

** I've got some good news and some bad news. **

**The good news is I've got another one shot for you.**

**The bad news is chapter 15 of my main story, of Furry Ears and Fluffy Tails, is not coming along well. Writers block has payed me a serious visit and now I'm seriously stuck.**

**To grandprincessanastasiaromanoc5: Thank you, I'm glad you liked it.**

**This one shot best fits shortly after Ace joined the Whitebeard family (chapter 12) and before the events in chapters 13 and 14. So, it's kinda an in-between chapter thing.**

**I don't own One Piece. Just my ideas and OC's.**

Melisandra watched as some of her family members of put up Ace's and the former Spade Pirate's wanted posters up on the wall. Every Whitebeard pirate had their wanted poster up there, even the wanted posters of their allies were up there, off to one side.

Every member of the family up there, all but Melisandra.

It wasn't that Meli was unhappy about Ace joining the family, quite the opposite. She was thrilled to have someone a little closer to her age plus, Meli liked Ace. He was fun to be around.

It was just that well, all the family was up there. It would be nice to share that with them. There was already so many things that were "when you're older." It made her feel left out at times, like she wasn't completely family yet.

Melisandra knew that was a ridiculous feeling to have but, nevertheless, it was there. She was careful not to let it show, feeling that it came under the heading of childish behavior. It was one thing to act like a kid but quite another to act like a selfish brat.

After the posters were up and admired for a bit, Melisandra wandered off to see what Rakuyo was up to. She hadn't visited with him yet today or yesterday for that matter. That called for a pounce and a hug.

~~~~~ Page Break ~~~~~

Hatura, Izo, Ace, Namur, Marco, and Thatch were all watching Melisandra head off down the hall. Thatch grinned at her retreating form, saying. "Man, is Rakuyo going to be in for it." They all nodded, though all of them except for Ace was a little distracted with a thought.

Melisandra may have been careful with her feelings but unknown to her, the family was aware of the sadness around her at the absence of her own wanted poster. Ace was still to new to have picked that up yet.

They could understand, she was the only one ever to join the family without already having a wanted poster. There was nothing they could do about it unless... A rather thoughtful expression crossed Haruta's features as she contemplated an idea.

When Haruta had thought her idea through, she said. "You know there is no real reason why we can't put a wanted poster of her up." Marco looked like some internal gears were going to blow, Izo was glaring and getting ready to chew Haruta out, Thatch was doing an impression of an angry, gaping fish, while Namur was waiting to hear the rest, and Ace just looked puzzled.

Haruta waved her hands, cutting off the furious outbursts she knew were coming and continued. "Don't go looking like that. Did I say anything about her going out to do anything to get an official one from the Marines? No. We could make one up ourselves and put it up. That's what she really would care about, just having one up there."

At that, the anger level in the hall took a nosedive. Namur nodded in agreement, that would do the trick just fine. Ace was still lost without a clue, in an attempt to get the world to make sense again, he asked. "I'm sorry, just who are we talking about here?"

The others blinked, remembering that Ace would have no idea as to what was going on. Marco gave him a small smile, saying. "Melisandra, yoi. She's the only member of the family without one. It upsets her, makes her feel... left out. We're not really sure what else Meli thinks about it. She does her best not to let it show that it's bothering her, yoi."

The others nodded, that was true and it only made their hearts wrench at the brave face Meli was putting on. They were her older siblings, they were supposed to make things better.

Thatch scratched his chin, saying. "You know, technically Meli already has one. The reward those damn villagers placed on her. It might not have been an official bounty with a poster or anything but, it's close enough."

It was still a sore subject amongst the crew since Melisandra had done nothing wrong to receive a bounty but, for once it would come in handy.

Izo hummed in thought before saying. "The one she was given was 5,000 berries." Ace snorted, saying. "Meli's kitty-eye look alone is worth almost that much alone. She should have at least a thousand more added on."

The others shared a grin. That particular look was a lethal weapon amongst the crew. Probably wouldn't have much affect on the Marines though.

Namur voiced his one concern, saying. "Alright but, we should stop there at 6,000. We don't ant to run the risk of Melisandra's made up bounty being higher then the one the Marines give her. If they happen to find out about her now, they wouldn't issue a very high one, Whitebeard pirate or not."

Haurta voiced her agreement, saying. "Yeah, not only that but they'd think we'd gone nuts. So, all we need to do now is get a picture of her and come up with a good nickname."

Marco grinned, saying. "Oh, I think I've got one for her already and it won't be hard to get a picture of her. We don't have any after all, what more reason do we need."

~~~~~ Page Break ~~~~~

It was later that week that the plan was put into it finale stage of completion. Now, a rather well done wanted poster hung on the wall, along side all the others. All that was left to do was to show Melisandra. A task that was left to Thatch, to bring her here. The others would wait there.

""Ohhhhh Melisandra. Guess what?" Thatch called. Meli looked over to Thatch, he was grinning. He was probably up to something. Melisandra replied. "You've lost your mind and want me to help look for it?"

The level of his merriment went down at that response and Thatch said. "No. You've been hanging around Namur too much. I've got something to show you, a new wanted poster." That puzzled Melisandra, to her knowledge, none of the family had done anything new at the level it would take to get an increase on their bounty. Thatch was still grinning, though the manic quality had gone down some, it was still not helping.

Melisandra followed Thatch anyway. Thatch wouldn't lie about a new poster and she couldn't see anyway he could use that as a prank. It was a further surprise to find Marco, Izo, Haruta, and Ace in the hallway as well. They all had a big, pleased smile on their faces.

Meli started to scan the wanted posters, searching out the new addition. There, on the bottom row, towards the center was a familiar face. It was her own face. Furry ears, fluffy tail, a smile with just a hint of pointy teeth. It was her, her very own wanted poster.

WANTED

Dead or Alive

"Shadow Walker" Meli

6,000 Reward

MARINE

Melisandra's mind was in a whirl, she hadn't done anything to get a poster, so how...

Suddenly, the grins and smiles made sense. Her family had done this for her and all because not having one had upset her so. The emotions within Melisandra were so strong she felt she couldn't speak, her cheeks were wet... when had she started to cry?

Hugs and purrs would just have to be enough for now and for her family, that was all they needed.


	3. Coffee

**well, here I am again. Sadly, I am suffering a bit of writing uncertainty for the next chapter of Of Furry Ears and Fluffy Tails. The good news is that it has left room to write some one shots here.**

**You don't have to read my main fic for this to make sense but, if you like these you might enjoy my main fic...**

**No special warnings, just silliness.**

**I don't own One Piece, just my OC's and ideas.**

**Hope you all enjoy.**

Thatch was going to die a slow, horrible and very painful death.

Of all the evil, twisted, outrageous pranks Thatch had pulled, this one is what he would consider is a master prank.

Never before had a person or in this case, a were-neko, been the main implement in a prank before.

Now, everyone aboard the ship knew that Meli + coffee = a complete breakdown of one's sanity, utter fast paced chaos, a complete meltdown of all order, and the cause of a big group headache.

Thatch had used Melisandra's unique metabolism against them by giving her not just any coffee, oh no, he gave her a cappuccino. Amnon, Moby Dick's doctor, said that the effects will last for hours, probably longer then a cappuccino would usually last for someone else. The only good news being that Thatch did good on his research, Meli will have no ill effects from her... experience, other then being really tired later.

To top off his master plan, Thatch was away on a mission, due back tomorrow afternoon. Marco mentally cursed, thinking. That sneaky basterd was going to be in for it when he got back. At the rate things were going, the only thing that might save Thatch was going to be the fights that broke out over who got to kill him.

For now, they were talking group turns watching Melisandra, no single person could do it right now, not with how fast Meli would go from one place to another.

Melisandra was going to be like this for hours.

Hours of an insane were-neko...

Thatch was so dead.

Marco watched as Melisandra continued hopping from one table to another in the galley. Several of his first division members also watched with a unique expression, a mixture of awe, fear, dread, with a touch of fascinated horror. Along with her fast paced movements, came a rapid fire speech, often with no clear direction.

"Woooooo hey this is fun, I bet I can make it all the way to the other end of the galley on tables and chairs, is there any more cake left, I'm still hungry, can I eat it up on deck, oh, hi Ace can we play tag some more?"

Ace stood frozen in the galley entrance, like a rabbit surrounded by hunters. Very slowly, he backed out of doorway before turning and running down the hall. Later, Ace would claim he didn't "run away" it was a strategic retreat to protect what little sanity and patience he had left.

Marco couldn't really blame him. The game of tag left Ace covered in grease... somehow. Ace refused to explain and Melisandra was to hyper to hold still long enough to concentrate on an explanation.

Before this, Marco would never have imagined that one small being could cause so much havoc. The armory looked much like it did at the end of battle, the port holes were still open to let the smoke out. How Meli managed to overturn a full, heavy sack of gun powder was still a mystery.

After that insident, Izo declared Meli needed a bath, the small dirty footprints going up and down several hallways held testament to that statement.

Completing the task was easier said than done.

The communal washroom now looked like it had been hit by a hurricane. Water and bubbles were everywhere, even dripping from the ceiling. The neat stack of towels now resided on the floor, not that Melisandra had used many.

As soon as Meli completed the task of getting clean, she came out of the water like a flying fish. While Melisandra was still wet, she put on clean clothes while making a veline for the door, trailing water behind her along with Izu's shouts of protest.

The only concession the Whitebeard pirates had was the current state of the kitchen. It was Hatura's wonderful idea to let Meli make her own lunch.

If the washroom had been hit by a hurricane, then the kitchen looked like it took a direct hit from an F5 tornado. Everyone was taking a sadistic pleasure in the anticipation of Thatch's reaction to the state of his kitchen.

Finally tired of table hopping, with a joyful shout, Melisandra made a dash for the deck.

Everyone sighed. For now, they just had to keep Meli from hurting herself or doing something un-repairable to the ship until she wore out.

It was proving to be one of the longest days the Whitebeard crew had ever gone through. Even battles went by quickly in comparison to this...

Several hours later, an enraged outcry of "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO MY KITCHEN!" echoed along the ship, warming the hearts of everyone on board. Thatch had finally entered the kitchen.


	4. The Loss of a brother

**wow. Another one shot so soon. Well, I know what I want to have happen in Chapter 18 Of Furry Ears and Fluffy Tails but, not exactly how I want it to happen. So, this might qualify as procrastination?**

**To mittensx7768:** **yes, there's nothing like revenge, especially against Thatch. Glad you liked.**

**I don't own One Piece, just my OC's and ideas.**

Darkness had long ago fallen, wrapping the world in its embrace. Quite seas and a soft breeze had lulled most into the comforts of a restful sleep. All but the two on night watch and two other individuals were up this night.

One was wrapped up in a soft blanket with penguins on it and the other wore a orange cowboy hat.

A rather unlikely pair to still be up, unless you took into account the narcolepsy episodes of one and the nocturnal tendencies of the other.

They would talk about everything and sometimes nothing at all, simply enjoying the stillness of the night. A time that belonged to them alone.

This night, Meli had another of her questions. Her lessons in reading and writing have been going good but with that knowledge comes new questions.

""Ace?" Melisandra said softly. Ace gave a noncommittal grunt in response. "Your tattoo... is it spelled right? Or did you fall asleep in the middle of it?" Melisandra said the last part teasingly enough. She very much doubted anyone could fall asleep while being poked with a needle... stil, this was Ace... It was possible...

At first, Meli wasn't sure that Ace heard her but then his left hand came up to grip the spot where his tattoo was. He was quite for a while longer, causing Melisandra to wish she never brought it up.

Ace did not look at her, kept staring out at the ocean while he responded. "My brother... This symbol was his pirate flag..." As Ace spoke, his gingers traces the crossed out "S" in his name. "We, we were just kids... only 10 when he... Sabo, we had always wanted to be free... He died under his pirate flag. They killed him for it, for wanting to be free, diffrent from them... but, he died free... I carry his flag for him now, So that he... we will always be free..."

Melisandra said nothing. She knew that saying she was sorry for bringing up the subject would do no good, only serving to make them both feel worse. Meli knew there were no words that would make the hurt go away and nothing she could have said that would be sufficient to convey her sympathy.

It was a pain in the heart Meli was all to familiar with, the loss of a brother was a sorrow that burdened both their hearts. A pain Melisandra knew never went away, a wound ready to reopen and bleed anew at a mere thought or memory. Guilt that you could never repent for enough and anger...

Yes, anger. For while it takes great strength to die protecting those you love, it takes even greater strength to live for them and yourself. Meli knew, deep in her heart, that she sometimes wished it had been the other way round and sometimes Meli would grow angry at the fact that it had not been that way. That she had died, while they lived on...

Sometimes...

Not as often as when she was alone in the world, they at least would have had one another.

So, Melisandra did the only thing she could do, wrapping Ace up in a crushing hug. Her purr went from zero to maximum output in a matter of seconds.

They stayed like that until sunlight began to lighten the horizon.


	5. The Blanket Crices

**Depression sucks, it really does. For those waiting for the next installment of my first fic, I got a start on the bonus chapter and the next one before the dark foreboding depths of depression opened back up, dragging me kicking and wimpering into the abyss.**

**Because of that I will not be able to work on Of Furry Ears and Fluffy Tails for a bit. I'll try to get some more one shots done and see if I can work on the next chapter of my new fic but, I can't make any promises. Nor can I say how long this delay might last. It's unfortunate but, sadly something that I cannot do much about.**

**RainbowNekoColoura, thanks for dropping by to review. I'm glad you like these to. Lol, maybe I need to start putting up a cuteness overload warning for some of these.**

**no warnings for this one, except a possible risk of a cuteness family fluff aleart.**

**sadly I do not own One Piece, just my own ideas and oc's.**

The Whitebeard Pirate's were used to being on alert. Alerts on enemy pirates, problems in one or more of their protected areas, storms, right down to monitoring the amount of ammo, food, medical supplies, and other necessary things they had in store and how much they might need.

The Whitebeard Pirate's were also used to being on the lookout for things. They mostly involved stuff like adventure, a good fight, booze (especially in Pops case), treasure, devil fruits, food (do we really need to mention Ace?), birthday presents (with a family this big it was nearly a never-ending search), trouble (not that a few members seemed to have trouble finding this) and good times, including pranks.

What they were not used to was being on the alert for a missing blanket...

It all started with a wail of anguish that sounded from below deck.

Everyone and everything stopped at the sound. People sparing stopped in mid swing or dodge, Ace woke up from his nap, Namur stopped right in the middle of an order, Pop's hand froze in the act of lifting his sake cup.

Everyone had their gaze on the doors leading below deck when they burst open. Melisandra rushed above deck, stumbled, went into a tumble and gracefully bounced to her feet.

Most would have contributed the actions to that of Meli seeking the one who just pulled a prank on her, were it not for the look in her eyes. Meli had a desperate look on her face, rather than a vengeful one.

With a speed that resembled instant levitation, Meli was up in the crows nest. After a few seconds there was another wail of distress. "It's not here either!"

Meli came down from the crows nest with an equal rate of speed, her distress even more evident.

"What's wrong, daughter?" Pops asked in as quietly as he could, frowning slightly. Melisandra looked up at her Pops, her tail drooping and ears wilted. "I can't find my blanket..."

No one needed to ask her which blanket Meli was talking about. There was only one blanket that Meli took with her above deck late at night, only one that went with her up to the crows nest, only one Meli wrapped herself up in her search for an older sibling after a nightmare, only one blanket she took with her to the infirmary when one of her siblings was sick or injured and let them borrow until they felt better.

They were all familiar with her light blue blanket with the penguins all over it and understood the problem with finding it. As Meli tended to take her blanket everywhere on the Moby Dick, it could have been lost anywhere too. At that point, everyone without vital duties began helping their youngest sister look for her lost blanket.

A few hours later, Melisandra found herself sitting on Pop's lap, his big captain's jacket draped around her. It was a nice gesture but, it was not the same. It wasen't soft or fluffy and while in happier times she liked to play with the tassels, it lacked the penguin print that she adored on her blanket.

It seemed that Haruta's whispered comment Meli heard her make two hours into the group search, might be true...

Her blanket could not be found because it was no longer on the ship, washed overboard and lost to the ocean floor.

As everyone knew, to Meli it was not 'just' a blanket. It was like Ace's cowboy hat, Hatura's sword, Vista's top hat, Pop's chair, Izo's gun holsters, and so many more items that each member of the family treasured. These items were important because they were gifts from family, that fact made them special. Meli knew that some day, her penguin blanked would have worn out, frayed and would have needed to be replaced.

But... This was to soon to be letting go, it was not supposed to be like this...

~~~~~ Page Break ~~~~~~

Two days later...

Thatch was in the galley early, getting things ready for lunch. For the last two days they had served several of Meli's favorite dishes at every meal. Meli had been mopping since the loss of her favorite blanket, worse than that, she had been trying not to let others know that she was so upset about it's loss.

It was as Thatch was unfolding the tablecloths that would be used on the tables that he felt something soft, fluffy and very familiar ...

Thatch broke out in a delighted grin. Somehow, Meli's blanket got tangled up with a tablecloth. He rushed to deliver it to Meli but he stopped, a better idea occurring to him and Thatch headed off in a different direction.

Thatch's plans were not ready to go until that evening but, he knew that Meli would love the addition to her favorite blanket.

Before dinner was served, Thatch had announced that he had something for Meli. He now stood there, hands behind his back. With a grin and Thatch's usual flourish, he held the object out to Melisandra.

Meli's eyes widened...

It was her blanket! They had found it! "Where did you find it!? Oh, thank you, thank you!" Meli was nearly breathless with astonishment. She had thought she'd never see it again. "It got mixed up with the tablecloths." Thatch laughed, shaking his head.

Melisandra reached to take her blanket from Thatch and then gasped.

Her penguin blanket had a new edging. Black, white and light blue tassels now adorned her blanket. Meli's gaze sought out Izo, who was smiling. "Thank you!" Meli cried, leaping up to hug the kimono clad pirate.

"Hey! What about me!? It was my idea!" Thatch cried indignantly. Meli laughed and launched herself at him. That caused the watching family to break out into laughter.


	6. The Big Holiday

**OMG, this turned into a monster 4,596 words with a mind of its own. I blame Meli, she talked me into doing this. Then Marco had to get involved and if he's in on it Thatch won't be far behind and so on. I had originally planned on something much shorter but, well I think it just might have turned out better this way.**

**I hope you enjoy. Happy holidays everyone.**

**I don't own One Piece. Just my OC'S and ideas.**

Christmas

In a family as large as this one it was a really insane time of year.

For one thing, the Whitebeard Pirate's came from a diverse background. What one sibling called Christmas, another called Yule or winter festival and a number of other things.

That problem was easily settled, now they simply called this time of year 'The Big Holiday', rather than trying to remember what each sibling privately called it.

Arguments about what kind of food should be ate was another one that was easy to solve. Each day, different dishes were served for the entire month of December.

Everyone had different ideas about how to decorate too. Again this was easy to solve. Every part of the ship was decorated in one manner or another, some styles of decoration were able to be blended together.

A handy chart was posted on the galley doors, informing everyone of the different traditions that were celebrated at this time of year. After an embarrassing incident some time ago, involving some mistletoe, a dark night, and a case of mistaken identity that also led to one brother needing a trip to the infirmary, no one wanted to have anymore... misunderstandings.

Asides from an extra excuse to party nearly every night, eat more then they should, drink a lot, enjoy being around all of their siblings and just generally have fun, there was one tradition that all of Whitebeard's children loved.

In the North Blue, there was a tradition of secret santa. Everyone would write their name on a piece of paper, fold it up and place in a box. Pops held the honor of holding the box while his children pulled out a name.

You then had to get a gift for the person whose name you pulled out. There were only four exceptions to that rule. If you drew your own name, if you got the name of the same person you got a gift for last year, if you were romantically involved with the person or related to them by blood. Then you just put the paper back and went again.

If the crew is currently at an odd number, leaving a name left within the box after everyone had selected one, it fell upon Marco as the first division commander to get a gift for them too.

No help from anyone else was allowed and you had to make an effort to get them something nice. It was a time honored tradition that works well for the unusually large family, as it just wouldn't be practical for every individual to get gifts for everyone else. The Whitebeard Pirate's had set up a plan similar to this that worked well for birthdays.

Pop's was the only one not to participate in secret santa. Every year he gifted his children with a month off, docked just off a winter island. That way, in shifts, everyone got plenty of time to enjoy the snow and have fun.

~~~~~ Page Break ~~~~~

Melisandra smiled up at Pops as the reached in the box and pulled a name out. With one more look towards Pops and a quick grin to her watching siblings, Meli scampered off to a quite corner to see whose name she picked.

Melisandra wondered if it was possible for the brain to suffer a heart attack, because she was pretty sure that was what hers was going through.

Marco,  
First division commander

As in Melisandra's eldest brother. One of the brothers Meli looked up to and not just because they were all taller than her. Marco, the brother who took on way to much responsibility.

Marco, who was protective of all his family, who watched over them, kept everyone from doing anything to stupid and yet indulged them with their own fun. Marco, who worried about them too much and hardly ever let go of his responsibilities of first commander, older brother or eldest son.

Somehow, Meli had to come up with a gift worthy enough for her big brother and she only had 25 days to do it. Life suddenly got complicated.

That made Melisandra wonder if that was how Marco felt all the time. That thought only hardened her resolve to find the perfect gift for Marco.

What was most important to Marco was his family and their wellbeing and happiness. Sure, Meli could gift him with something like a nice set of pens with his name engraved on them. But, that's not really something that Marco would want, not really want.

The perfect gift for Marco would have to be something that involved his family but, it couldn't break the secret santa rules. Meli couldn't get help from anyone else for this. Slowly, an idea began to take hold and she smiled to herself. Melisandra couldn't wait until they docked at the winter island, she had some supplies she would need.

~~~~~ Page Break ~~~~~

Somewhere else on the ship, Ace was facing his own dilemma.

Over the months Ace had come to care for all of his newly found family. But, that did little to help him figure out where to even start on his secret santa gift giving.

Izo,  
16th division commander.

Ace liked spending time with his kimono wearing brother. He had his own brand of humor, Izo was intelligent and had a sharp wit and cared deeply for his family. But, Ace knew nothing about makeup, nail polish, or many of the other products Izo used.

To Izo, his appearance was very important. Even in the middle of battle, he would somehow manage to look neat.

Ace went through a mental list of the many things Izo used, most of which Ace had not a clue to their purpose until his thoughts settled on one rather plain possession Izo had amongst his other products. Now that he had thought about it, that one item really did not fit in with Izo's style.

Ace grinned, his momentary panic forgotten . He now had a plan.

Most people thought that Ace never planned for anything and that wasn't entirely true. It would be more accurate to say that he was lazy in the planning department and tended to go with his time old favorite plan, charging in and winging it from there.

This time however, Ace would plan it out with the same level of care that Izo took to paint his nails.

~~~~~ Page Break ~~~~~

Namur was a being of reason and practicality. Everything he owned was chosen for its practical level of function with the exception of presents. Presents from his family were special and were not required to be practical. The only reason Namur saw for The Big Holiday was that it made his family very happy and that was enough reason for Namur.

Despite being one of the more level-headed members of the family, he was having trouble coming up with a nice yet practical gift for the person whose name he picked.

Melisandra.

Namur had liked Meli the first time he met her. Like him, she was not human but, that did not mean Meli would treat him as an equal. He'd known plenty of humans and fishmen that were both so full of their superiority. Melisandra was never like that. Curious yes but, it was a curiosity that one might have about a new friend.

Namur also appreciated the way Meli always seemed to just know when he was about to reach the end of his patience. At those times, Meli would steer the offender, usually Thatch, Ace or Hatura, away from him. It gave him some breathing room away from his siblings craziness that he never could have before and now couldn't imagine living without it.

This was to be Melisandra's first holiday celebration with her family too.

Namur felt it was his duty as one of her older brothers to ensure that the gift would be something Meli would truly love. He knew that even if Meli was disappointed in her gift, it would be hard to tell. Meli would never wish to hurt her brothers feelings.

Even now, after several months with her chosen family. Namur knew that Meli still worried about fitting in and being accepted by them. Every now and then, that uncertainty and fear would show. Every time, something inside him twisted at the sight.

Namur wished he could take that feeling away from his sister.

But...

Maybe he could find a gift for Melisandra, something to help reminded her that no matter what, they would always be her family, always there for her, and would still love her regardless.

~~~~~ Page Break ~~~~~

Izo looked at the piece of paper in front of him with an expression that was half amusement, half dismay.

He loved all his siblings dearly and rejoiced in the secret santa gift giving. Izo usually took it as an opportunity to improve the appearance of the person whose name he picked.

This year however, all of his skills would be for not.

Namur 12th Division Commander

As Izo knew, Namur would not appreciate any gifts of stylish clothing as he preferred non-restrictive clothes that allowed him to do his hand to hand fighting. Namur was level headed and a quick thinker. There was not much fluff or no-nonsense to Namur but, he did enjoy it in the form of his family.

Everything that Namur had was practical and used regularly. What Izo needed to do was find Namur a useful, practical gift that could also be beautiful.

For that, Izo would need to get creative, fortunately, Izo could do creative quite well.

~~~~~ Page Break ~~~~~

Marco took every task he needed to do seriously and that included the secret santa tradition. He wanted all of his siblings to be happy so, it was of the upmost importance to him that everyone enjoyed the Big Holiday.

As Marco looked at the name he drew for this years secret santa, he felt confident that he would be able to find the perfect gift for the recipient.

Thatch 4th division commander

Marco had been friends with Thatch for a number of years. Only a few members of the family knew Thatch as well as he did.

It took most of his siblings a long time to realize that there was more to Thatch than his jovial personality, love of pranks and mayhem, and his skills in the kitchen and battlefield.

Knowing what Marco did about Thatch, he knew that nothing would make him more happy then receiving a gift that Thatch could use to make his siblings happy.

So, Marco put his thoughts down that track, trying to come up with a gift that could bring joy to more then just Thatch.

~~~~~ Page Break ~~~~~

Thatch smiled at the piece of paper he selected from the box. Thatch was usually smiling anyways but, this time of the year brought extra joy to him.

He loved bringing joy and laughter to his siblings. Each year, Thatch was determined to make sure his family had the best time possible. All the right food, games and delights of the Big Holiday.

Secret santa was something that Thatch and his other siblings took extra delight in. It was done on a personal, individual level. It was the job of each individual to make sure everyone had a nice gift to unwrap on the 25th.

This year, Thatch was presented with a challenge and he felt the excitement in him rise at the challenge.

Ace.

Their newest and next to youngest brother.

Ace was going to be a challenge. Not much was known yet about his likes and dislikes. Nor, did he seem to have any noticeable hobbies. Unless you counted his tendency to be up on deck late at night, gazing at the stars. With growing frequency, Meli can be seen staying with him for a considerable amount of time.

Thatch shook his head at the thought.

Once he even caught Ace out on deck in the rain of all things. No shelter, he could have at least gone up in the crows nest. While it had no windows, it at least had a roof. If it weren't for Ace's devil fruit abilities, Thatch would have been really worried about finding Ace out like that.

Though, the more Thatch thought about it...

An idea for the perfect gift began to form in his mind. And if Meli also benefited from it as well, that would just be a bonus.

~~~~~ Page Break ~~~~~~

Another part of the secret santa tradition was the order of the gift opening, an event that took all day. It started early in the morning with the youngest member and finished late at night with the oldest.

It was finally time.

Melisandra sat in the middle of the galley, holding a beautifully wrapped package in red and gold that Namur had just handed to her. He appeared nerves, something not normally seen in the fishmen.

Meli stared at the package in awe and slight worry. Her package for Marco was not nearly wrapped so well. Namur did so good, it was almost a shame to tear into it.

Meli used a claw to cut through the tape so she didn't need to ruin the pretty paper.

Even the box was pretty, a nice shiny black. But, neither the paper or the box could compare to what was inside. Melisandra broke out into a delighted smile.

It was a beautiful necklace, perhaps silver, with many charms already attached. A large one in the center had their jolly roger, the numbers one through sixteen representing all the divisions, one that looked like the Moby Dick, a bird, a geshia fan, and several other charms that stood for different members of the family.

It truly was a beautiful piece of craftsmen ship, all the more so since it represented her family.

It looked strong, able to handle her active lifestyle plus it was something Meli could wear even when she shifted. Once Meli could bring herself to look away fom her new gift her eyes sought out Namur.

At Melisandra's obvious enjoyment in her present, Namur looked more certain. He was smiling, partly in relief and partly because it's hard not to when you see one of your siblings smile like Meli was.

Melisandra got up with her precious gift held in both hands and went over to Namur. "It's beautiful Namur, I love it! Would you put it on for me?"

Namur smiled. "Of course Meli," Namur said. He took the necklace from her hands before adding, "turn around for me."

When Melisandra turned, Namur placed the necklace over her head and did the clasp for her. That was the trickier part of the necklace design. Namur had been adamant on the strength of the clasp, at the same time it needed to be easy for her fingers to manage.

Melisandra smiled as she looked down at the necklace now around her neck. It was perfect.

Meli turned back to Namur, with a small leap she wrapped him up in a hug. After placing a small kiss to his cheek Meli said, "thank you Namur. It's beautiful and just perfect, I love it."

Namur smiled and once he set Melisandra back on the ground, rubbed her gently behind one ear. "I'm glad you like it. I wasn't sure, you're not one for wearing jewelry so..."

Melisandra matched his smile with one of her own. "This one is special. It came from family, it represents family."

~~~~~ Page Break ~~~~~

For once, Ace did not complain about being the second youngest as it ment he got to open his gift next. It sure beat waiting most of the day to open it.

He now held the seat in the center of the family, recently vacated by Melisandra. Ace waited to see who it was that picked his name out of the box.

When Ace saw a grinning Thatch holding a medium sized box wrapped in paper featuring little ducks wearing ice skates, Ace couldn't help but share his grin. That was just so, we'll Thatch. With a wink, Thatch handed him the package and backed away to the edge of the crowd.

Ace was definitely curious about what kind of gift Thatch would give to him. He hadn't at first wanted anything but, as the days wore on, Ace began to anticipate.

Without further prompting, Ace tore into the wrapping paper and life the lid on the box inside.

At first, Ace couldn't make out what it was exactly. It looked like just a bunch of light brown canvas stuffed in the box. As Ace began pulling it out, a general shape of what it was began to form.

Ace looked over at Thatch and smiled. He learned what most on the crew already knew. While Thatch loved to prank and joke around a lot, underneath that was a very thoughtful and caring individual.

A hammock with a top to keep the rain off was a perfect gift that Ace hadn't even realized he wanted until it was in his hand. Now, Ace could see how perfect it would be for him well, not just him. Ace stole a look over at Meli and saw her smile. At least one other would benefit from this gift.

Ace got up from the chair, his new gift tucked with care under one arm. With his free arm Ace clapped Thatch on the back before pulling him into a hug. "Thank you Thatch, it's perfect."

Thatch grinned at him. "Yeah, can't have you out like that in all weather, devil fruit user or not. You should be comfortable while out doing your second favorite pastime."

Ace laughed. As everyone knew, Ace loved to eat. No one else on the crew could match him in his appetite.

While Ace wanted to go and set up his new hammock, he stayed in the galley. He very much liked seeing the joy light up on Melisandra's face at seeing her present and looked forward to seeing more of his siblings happy.

~~~~~ Page Break ~~~~~

Thatch sat grinning in the center of his family. One might think that after Ace, he would have been next. In fact, despite his pranking, fun loving nature, Thatch was no where close to the youngest on the ship.

As much fun as it is getting a gift for one of his siblings, Thatch couldn't deny he loved getting a present too.

An extra layer of thrill shot through Thatch when Marco stepped foreword with a large, neatly wrapped package in white and gold. Marco was well known for being meticulous when choosing a gift for family. Whatever Marco had picked was bound to be perfect for him.

Thatch tore into his heavy package like an eager child unable to contain their excitement.

The box was filled to the brim with books. At first sight of all this reading material, Thatch deflated a little, until he read the first title, then the second. He kept pulling out one book out after the other after that, his excitement mounting.

They were all recipe books, not just ant recipe books either. There were recipe books with dishes for all four oceans. A recipe book featuring the use of unusual spices and ingredients. A book with popular dishes from fishmen island. There was two recipe books from the were-neko clans. Still many more involved hard to find ingredients or obscure cooking techniques.

Thatch loved to cook. He took great pride and joy in being able to not only give a proper, well balanced meal to his diverse family but, also in making it something that they really want to eat. Thatch could never have enough books to help him accomplish this.

Thatch was happy and when Thatch was happy, someone was going to get hugged. Since Marco was the source of this particular happiness, there was no getting out of being hugged.

"These books are the best! Thanks Marco!" Thatch cried out while launching himself at his blonde brother.

Marco took Thatch's enthusiasm with good grace, having long ago become accustomed to it. Marco returned his hug though, a little less enthusiastically.

~~~~~ Page Break ~~~~~

Izo sat with his legs crossed, delicate hands with his nails finely polished red, resting in his lap. His eyes scanned the crowd, waiting to see who's turn it was this year to get him a present.

Izo couldn't say he was surprised when Ace stepped foreword, a small wooden box with an elegant floral print done in gold leaf held in his hands. The soft smile Ace wore was, it was very different from his usual wild grin or fun loving smile.

Without a word Ace handed Izo the box, all the while that soft smile remained . Ace didn't need to speak, not with that smile.

Izo traced the delicate pattern on the box with his hands. If that was anything to go by, Izo was going to be pleasantly surprised by the box's contents. Ace was not known for having any taste for pretty objects so, all of it came as a surprise.

Unable to wait any longer, Izo opened the box.

Izo was not let down by what he found inside.

It was a set of beautiful combs and brushes. They had elegant mahogany handles and the same gold leaf floral pattern that decorated the box. There was even a lint brush in the set.

Everything about it was just perfect. Izo looked up at Ace, almost in wonder.

Somehow Ace managed to pick out the one thing in Izo's collection that was lacking and find the perfect replacement. Izo had always ment to get a new set of brushes, he just never got around to it. There always seemed to be something else he'd rather have...

A smile graced Izo's features as he rose to see Ace.

"Thank you Ace. It's a wonderful gift, you know I'll be using them regularly," Izo told Ace when he was close enough.

That smile that Ace had been wearing finally broke out into his usual wide grin.

Izo tugged playfully on Ace's cowboy hat before going of to show Thatch his new gift.

~~~~~ Page Break ~~~~~

Namur sat straight, waiting patiently, his eyes on his family as he waited to see who selected his name.

The sight of Izo approaching him holding a medium sized box wrapped in red and silver paper made him wonder about its contents.

It was well known to Namur, Izo's love of beautiful accessories and colorful clothes. With that in mind, what Izo had gifted him was likely along those lines. The gifts that Namur had received from his siblings over the years tended to reflect the tastes of the giver to some extent.

When Izo handed him the box and Numar felt the heavy weight to the box, it threw part of that theory out the porthole. There was no clue on Izo's face as to the contents of the box, that smile gave nothing away.

Namur went about opening the box in his unusual way, neatly and without making any mess.

What was inside was both something that Namur would and would not have expected from Izo. The beautifully carved cherry wood depicting dolphins, sea kings and other sea creatures had an elaborately detailed quality that was definitely Izo. The circular brass object, done with etchings that matched the wooden carvings and extra embellishments done in silver also spoke of Izo's attachment to beauty.

It was the fact that the brass object was one of the best makes of a ship bells clock available that Namur had not expected. It was beautiful and practical, it was also something Namur had been needing.

Oh, his old ship bells clock still worked, for a given value of work. Namur had to tinker with it constantly. Despite that and numerous repairs, it still lost an hour or more a week if left to its own ticking. It had been the cause of more than one watch shift to be out of wack.

Namur looked up at Izo and treated him to a toothy grin. There was a subtle un-tensing of Izo's shoulders at the sight of that smile.

"Thank you Izo. Your gift is finely crafted and a perfect replacement for my old clock."

Izo inclined his head at the praise, a pleased smile spreading across his face. Finding a gift for Namur may have been his biggest secret santa challenge yet.

~~~~~ Page Break ~~~~~

Marco may not be the oldest, Amnon was actually older, but he insisted on taking his turn last. Most put it down to his older brother ways, topped with being first division commander.

If Marco's internal catalog of who had already presented someone with a gift was correct then it should be...

Ah, yes...

Melisandra came out from the crowd of siblings, a small box held in her hands.

Marco could tell that she was nervous by the way her tail swished back and forth. This was her first secret santa exchange after all. He smiled to reassure her. Marco would love any present simply because it came fom Meli and he knew that Meli would put her heat into any gift ment for family.

Almost shyly, Meli handed him the present before retreating to the edge of the crowd of siblings.

The wrapping paper was blue and yellow, like his flames. It also had creases here and there, like someone had re-wrapped it a few times, trying to get it right. The over use of tape, also gave weight to this theory.

With the same level of care Meli must have put into wrapping the gift, Marco unwrapped it. The box inside was plain but, in perfect condition.

What was inside the box was anything but plain.

Inside the box was a stack of thick cards of different colors with the most elegant handwriting Melisandra had produced to date. They were coupons, all addressed to Marco and all redeemable from Melisandra.

The first five were redeemable for a free prank revenge against anyone, carried out by Melisandra. (Choice of prank an optional extra.)

The second four were coupons to get out of one chore of choice.

Next was a coupon to have Melisandra be his paperwork secretary for a day.

There were two coupons granting Marco a through room cleaning, laundry included.

One coupon was redeemable for spending the day with Melisandra, choice of activities left up to the recipient.

Marco smiled as he read through them. He could sense, without raising his head, that his other siblings could no longer hold in their curiosity and were creeping closer to have a look.

Two were coupons for a one hour story telling.

One coupon was for one hour of continuous purring.

Marco looked up to find his family gathered around, trying to get a look at the cards. Melisandra stood in front of him, her tail clutched in one hand.

Marco set the cards to one side and leaned foreword to scoop Melisandra up, standing as he did so. "Thank you Meli. You made the perfect choice for a gift."

Marco got a second gift that day, watching Melisandra's eyes light up at his praise and that smile of hers, that delighted smile was certainly something to see.

A loud purr started up in the galley in reply to Marco's words, just audible over the commentary her brothers were making.


	7. The Doorknob Of Doom

**The author of this story creeps in with a dustpan and broom.**

**Man, had it been awhile since I've been around here. Just look at all the dust and cobwebs...**

**Still, I'm here with a little something so you know I'm still thinking about this story.**

**I've got some ideas and plans for the re-writing Of Furry ears and fluffy tails. That's all they are right now though, nothing written down, no direct action... yet. I've been thinking about it a lot. I want to get it all thought out this time around before I commit anything to my keyboard.**

**Even then, re-writing a story that was well into 60k words will be no small undertaking. I'm still trying to prepare myself for that. I'll probably nibble at it here and there in the background in-between my other writings. ****A lot of things will stay the same but, there will be some major shifts and redo's in other area's. **

**If you've been reading my other story with the ASL brothers, let it be known that I'm still in my spark-less funk but, I'm trying to get past it anyway I can. **

** Anyway, while I'm sweeping the place out and battling with the spiders, please enjoy this little tidbit.**

**To Tray D. Sheila. Thanks, I'm glade you liked it. I wanted to do something fun for the holiday, you know.**

**To Guest. Thanks for reviewing, I'm glad you liked it.**

Paws scrabbled ineffectively at the door handle leading into one of the many training rooms. Melisandra had wanted to use one of the training rooms to burn off her extra energy during this full moon, rather than getting in her siblings way atop deck.

They had just weathered through a bad storm and many repairs needed to be made- were still being made this late into the night. Another storm was due to hit early tomorrow, such was the radical weather of the Grand Line.

Meli glared at the round, shiny doorknob. Enemy to were-neko paws. It should be impossible for a doorknob to look smug but, that's what Meli felt it was doing. How dare it just stay there looking all shiny and useful!

She felt a growl welling up inside her but stopped it from coming forth. Meli was not about to lower herself to growling at doorknobs.

She let out a huff of irritation instead and rested her head against the door, her tail twitching in annoyance. Meli, the mighty hunter, stealth expert, terror among the shadows and master prankster in training defeated by a doorknob.

Melisandra was deep in her internal debate about what to do about the immobile door and unreasonable, smug doorknobs when she heard someone clearing their throat behind her.

Ace was standing there in the hallway, his gray eyes looking at Meli. There was nothing but warmth and compassion in those eyes as he leaned past Meli and twisted the doorknob. The quite click and creak of the door opening was the only sound that past between them. They had spent to many sleepless nights sitting out on deck chatting to need to say anything now.

Still silent, Ace took a small scrap of paper out of his pocket and wedged it in the door latch to ensure the door couldn't close and lock Meli inside the training room.

Before entering the room Meli affectionately bumped Ace's leg and he smiled at her, one of his big smiles that could hold it's own against the sun.

Sometimes you don't need words, they get in the way of what you're trying to say.


End file.
